


Red Roses

by OlicityIBelieve



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Speculation, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 15:29:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3534641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlicityIBelieve/pseuds/OlicityIBelieve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, it's hard to say goodbye...</p>
<p>The scene takes place somewhere between 3x19 and 3x20 - Pure speculation based on the spoilers issued recently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Roses

**Author's Note:**

> The biggest MERCI to the glorious, fantastic, always available Sue (skcolicity - who beta-ed this fic at 2.30 am last night…) - you’re the best Sue!

The day was warm and sunny. For her first day out of her hospital room, the universe offered her the most beautiful and peaceful weather she could ever dream of. The blue of the sky had never been brighter, the green of the grass under her heels never as lush. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, lifting her chin up in a desperate attempt to capture the warmth of the sun on her skin. A warmth that had left her heart a few days ago, leaving behind only sadness, emptiness and pain.  
The reality of the recent events had thrown a black veil on her brain, leaving her incapable of thinking beyond the fury of her emotions. Her mind couldn’t process anything, as if she was functioning on auto-pilot, the reality of life happening before her eyes but unable to grasp a hint of it. The soreness of her body was almost a relief in these circumstances, making her realized she was alive. Broken but alive. 

She took a long and deep breath, ignoring the pain flashing through her cracked ribs. She knew she had to open her eyes again, but she couldn’t look at it anymore. She couldn’t face the reality any longer. She couldn’t bear the pain. But she knew that turning her eyes away wouldn’t change the excruciating reality of her loss. He was gone. Roy was gone.

Her eyes still closed, she leaned slowly toward Oliver, finding comfort against his shoulder. His arm tightened on her waist, bringing her even closer to him. He kissed her hair softly and in a mirroring motion, closed his eyes for a second.

***************

He hadn’t left her side since she woke up. He was there when she opened her eyes, his face carrying the loss of a partner, of a friend, of a brother. He didn’t have to say anything; she read in his eyes that Roy was gone. Both his hands closed on hers, bringing it to his lips, kissing her knuckles desperately before leaning his forehead against her small hand.

“I gave up on him,” he said in a whisper “I let him go… I’m sorry Felicity.” His voice broke as his body shook violently under the sob he had held back for so long. Seeing her alive and back with him awakened the agonizing reality of not having this chance with Roy. Neither Felicity nor Oliver found the strength to talk. Only tears could express what their broken heart tried to say, what words couldn’t describe. Never again would Oliver see his protégé wearing his eternal red hoodie, dragging his feet while heading to the training mats. Never again would he correct his technique or congratulate him for his amazing progress. Never again would he fight the urge to erase the smirk off his face.

Roy saved Felicity. He gave his life for her. Both of them were at the foundry before the explosion. Loyal to his values and selflessness, Roy had protected her, his body covering the impact of the blast. When Oliver, Diggle and Thea found them under the debris, it was already too late for Arsenal. He would always remember Thea’s harrowing cry at the realization that her love had left this world. He would never forgive himself for the relief he experienced when he felt Felicity’s weak pulse under his fingers, when his sister was enduring the agony of losing a loved one again. 

***************

Oliver opened his eyes at the mechanic noise of the casket lowering device. Felicity did too. This was it. Roy’s coffin was slowly going down, increasing the pain in his chest. Oliver stopped breathing for a second. He had lost a loved one again. He had lost someone who trusted him. He had lost someone who was wholeheartedly inspired by him. 

They were the only ones left in the cemetery; everyone waiting for them further down the road. He felt Felicity moving toward the grave. He followed her, never leaving her side. Never letting her go. Not ever again. She grabbed a handful of soil, handing him half of it. 

“Together?” she murmured almost imperceptibly, her eyes redden by tears, looking straight into his soul. Oliver opened his palm and felt the humid soil against his hand.

Oliver gave her a sad smile. “Together,” he answered.

Lifting their hands over the grave, they let the soil fall onto the wood of Roy’s last resting place. 

Once the last gravel hit the casket, Felicity turned violently toward Oliver, throwing herself in his arms, burying her face in his neck, her body brutally shaken by uncontrollable sobs. He stroked her back gently, whispering words of comfort and love against her hair, tears running down his cheeks. Her hand grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. After a few minutes, her body calmed down, and her breathing evened out. She pulled away from him, stepping back, giving both of them a bit of space to regain their composure.

“I’m sorry. I know I should be strong for him, for you but…I can’t,” Felicity said, shaking her head and pursing her lips. 

Oliver moved toward her, erasing the space between them. He cupped her face in his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. “Then be strong for us,” he told her, his eyes locked with hers. He closed the space between their lips and gave her a soft, chaste kiss. Even now that their relationship was heading toward something different, Felicity could not get used to the flutter in her stomach every time he would lay his loving eyes on her or feel his lips on her skin. 

They broke apart, intertwining their fingers. Slowly, they walked toward their friends and family who were waiting for them. A few steps before reaching the group, Oliver turned around for one last, lingering look.

By his grave was a vase full of red roses, reminding them that red was the color of love. Every form of love.


End file.
